Fires sparking respiratory problems

Smoke and dry conditions are being blamed for an uptick in cases.

By Don Finleydfinley@express-news.net

Updated 11:30 pm, Wednesday, September 14, 2011

San Antonio's new no-smoking ordinance may have cleared the air a bit, but a whole new set of smoky circumstances may have made it harder for some to breathe in recent days — courtesy of all the wildfires. With rain chances slim to none in the forecast, fire risk remains high, and health officials are urging people to take precautions.

Air quality monitoring stations throughout the city show that levels of fine particles in the air, from sources such as smoke or vehicle exhaust, have remained at acceptable levels generally, with a few short-term spikes.

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But even moderate levels can cause problems for people with heart or lung problems such as asthma or emphysema, the very young, the elderly and pregnant women. And it hasn't helped that scorching temperatures have kicked up levels of ground-level ozone, triggering sporadic air quality health alerts in recent days.

And while it's hard to attribute symptoms to one culprit, doctors — and patients — have their suspicions.

“I have had a handful of people with exacerbation in asthma symptoms, as well as worsening of their nonallergic or irritant rhinitis, that they have attributed to the fires on the North Side,” said Dr. Erika Gonzalez-Reyes with Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Associates of South Texas. “The worsening of their symptoms is most likely multifactorial, but this could definitely be a key player. We saw a similar increase in symptoms a few years back with the fires in Helotes.”

“Typically the amount of particles inhaled is what correlates with the amount of symptoms,” Restrepo said. “Those who are in the proximity of the areas where the smoke has been generated will have a much greater chance of inhaling those particles.”

Last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services released a health advisory in response to fires in Bastrop and across the state, urging people to avoid or minimize their exposure to smoke, and to seek medical help if symptoms — including difficulty breathing, chest pain, stinging eyes and cough — become severe.

“You may have to seek shelter elsewhere,” he said. “Some people may need to stay away a little longer if there's a lot of smoldering smoke going on. And we certainly want to advise people not to add any more to their own indoor pollution if the levels are high on the outside. Don't burn candles, fireplaces, gas stoves. You may not even want to vacuum, because that stirs up even more particles that are already in the house. And certainly don't smoke.”